Question

The legal power or position of President of India is?
A.The same as in the English Constitution
B.Like the President of America
C .Like the administrator of Sikkim
D.Like that of the Chief Justice of India

Answer 1

Hint:The Indian President is elected by both Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha of Indian Parliament in addition to legislative assemblies of all Indian states and Union territories, which have been directly elected. The President of India is often referred to as the head of the state and the first citizen of India.

Complete answer:
The President is elected every 5 years. He/she isn’t directly elected by the people, but by Members of Parliament(MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) who have been directly elected by the citizens. The candidate standing for the President’s post needs a majority of votes, but can’t claim a popular mandate like that of the Indian Prime Minister.
This points out that he/she has nominal powers which are similar to that of Queen’s in Britain i.e. ceremonial to a great extent.
Article 53 of the Indian Constitution speaks of that. The overall functioning of all the political institutes is invigilated by him/her so that they can achieve their objectives of welfare and prosper by working in harmony.

All the activities of the government including major appointments of Chief Justice of India, judges of Supreme Court and High courts, governors, election commissioners etc. are made in his name. He/she is the Supreme Commander of defence forces of India, and all international agreements and treaties are signed in his name.

However, the President can use these powers only on advice of the Council of Ministers. He/she gives assent to the bill passed by parliament. The signing can be delayed and sent back to parliament of reconsideration, but, if the bill is passed again, the President must sign in.
He/She also has the power of appointing the Prime Minister(PM) of India who was the head of party or coalition upon securing a clear majority. If no party/coalition gets a majority in Lok Sabha, the President can exercise his/her discretion and ask the newly appointed PM to win the majority again within a specified time.

Just like the Queen, the Indian President gives assent to bills, can suspen/summon Parliament, be responsible for major appointments and are the commander in chief of their respective defense forces.
These powers aren’t excerised similarly by American President, Sikkim’s Administrator or Supreme Court’s Chief Justice.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note:There are some basic differences in terms of powers being similar. The basic difference between Indian President and English Monarch is that the former is elected, while the latter is hereditary. In the UK, there is no post of President as it is a constitutional monarchy. The Prime Minister is the head of the state.